Automatic machine for making serum phials



May 21, 1935. 1.. L. COMOY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR MAKING SERUM PHIALS FiledOct. 9, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvemnm life I. (am 7 May 21, 1935. L. COMOY 2,002,

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR MAKING SERUM PHIALS Filed on. 9, 1953 5 Sheets-She et 2 F L 61; so A aw if 55,

INVENTUR= 41 'la o'ndawf/ 2/I t 0% ATTURNEY May 21, 1935.

. L. COMQY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR MAKING SERUM PHIALS Filed Oct. 9, 193:5 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 z I lNVENTUR= 'la'a'n/ ATTURNEH L. L. COMOY May 21, 1935.

Filed Oct. 9, 1933 5 She ets-Sheet 4 INVENTURI N R MVm a A L May 21, 1935.

L. 1.. COMOY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR MAKING SERUM PHIALS 5 P H t T N m mv u s W W m Hymn" t 0 E w a h A SF G B A A 5 5 l 3 \5 o 90 l 5 v 3 a w m 9 q d M d d w m n u 1 F n m N M a \\\\\\\\\\\m Patented May 21, 1935 PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR MAKING SERUM PHIALS Lon Louis (lomoyg 'laris, France Application October a, 1933, Serial N... 692,852

In France October 15, 1932 I 4 Claims.

v This invention relates to an automatic machine for making serum phials and other glass flasks of small capacity and its chief object is especially to provide a machine having a large output and operating entirely automatically and 7 adapted for making'glass flasks of small capacity and more particularly serum phials from glass tubes of indetermined length.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in the appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational side view of the whole of the forming blocksof the machine. 7

Figure 2 is a partial detail sectional view showing one of said forming blocks.

Figure 3 is an elevational sectional view showing' the mechanism for introducing the glass tubes into the forming blocks of the machine.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the mechanism for longitudinally advancing the tubes as two phials are made.

' Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a forming block indifferent positions.

Figure 6 is an elevational view showing the mechanism for laterally shifting the tubes in the blocks and discharging the phials which have been made.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatical view showing the form of the phials in each stage of the making operation and also showing the slopes controlling the longitudinal stretching of the tubes.

The machine according to the invention essentially comprises a number of elements or blocks such as a, b, c, d v (Figural) secured around a plate 5 rotatably mounted on a fixed horizontal shaft 8. Said blocks are formed of two frames I each of them carrying a socket. Said sockets are denoted by 8 and 8. The same are synchronously rotated andmay be shifted a certain amount along their axis. Said shifting movements are controlled by means of two closed circular slopes ill and I 8' through the medium of the plate II for the socket 8 and, for the socket 8, of the roller II and of a plate l2 forming a double fork (Figures 2 and 5) embracing two grooved rollers l3 and I4 integralone with the socket 8 and the other with a tube l5 which controls one of the choking rollers l8. Each socket carries aclaw provided with a spring and serving to grasp the glass tube 35. Said claws are denoted at 2|, 2|; the opening and closing of the same are eii'ected by means of a tube carrying, on the one hand, a conical ring l8 and, on the other hand, a head is on which rests a-spring 20 which insures the closure of the claws 2|, 2|.

The opening of the claws 2|, 2| is effected at the desired moment through compression of the springs 20; the tube l'l opens the claws 2| and 2| and releases the glass tube.

Both frames I are braced by a rod 22 (Figure I 5) through which they are rigidly connected with another; a shaft 23 serves as an intermediary means for insuring the synchronous rotation of the claws 2|, 2|, which rotation is controlled by the ring 24 receiving itself its movement from n the shaft 25 driving another ring 24' integral with the ring 24.

The rod 22 carries two gas burners, the one 28 for forming the bottom of the phials and the other 21 for forming the necks.

The choking rollers l6, l6 which serve to form the choked part of the necks are mounted on a square shaft 28 which extends through two sockets 29. One of said sockets is secured on the tube l5 which is integral with the roller lever 20 3|. Said lever, when following the cam 32 (Figure 5) controls the approaching. movement of the rollers l6, l5 towards the glass tube during the stretching of the neck, as will be explained later on. 25

Each forming block constitutes a unit which is essentially removable so as to allow of a quick replacing 'of the same if an element happens to be inJured, thus avoiding the necessity of stopping the machine. 0

The machine also comprises a number of sub- 3 sidiary elements through which the operation is rendered quite automatic.

Said elements are: a mechanism for the introduction of the glass tubes into the machine in operation. Said mechanism (Figures 1 and 3) comprises a tube magazine formed of two sloping carriers 88 on which the tubes are adapted to roll down, a delivering mechanism formed of a lever 24, a connecting rod 34'; a cam 34" con- 40 trolled by the shaft 84", and the lever 24 for taking a tube 85 out of the magazine on each of its swinging movements. The glass tube 85 is then taken again by two forks 38 which lift the same to the level of the corresponding socket I1, while a clamp 38 simultaneously grasps the said tube and introduces it into the socket 81.

The clamp 38 receives a longitudinal reciprocating movement from the connecting rod 38' which is driven by the crank 88 receiving its movement from the shaft 40. Said shaft which synchronously drives the above mentioned shaft 34' makes, when rotating, a revolution during the time of shifting from a block to another. A. set of cams 4| and 42 secured on the same shaft transmits a transverse movement to the clamp 38 which permits the glass tube 35 to follow the rotary movement of the whole blocks during the introduction. The transverse movement of the clamp is shown by the dotted lines 43.

The opening and closing of the clamp are effected by a compressed air piston 44, the air being admitted to both sides of the piston through a slide valve (not shown).

The whole introducing mechanism is set in motion when necessary, 1. e. when the tubes worked on in the machine are exhausted. The setting in motion is determined by the following set of elements: a ratchet wheel 45 having a num ber of teeth equal to the number of operations effected upon a glass tube. Said ratchet wheel is advanced for one tooth through the effect of the crank 46 for each revolution of the whole of the blocks about the axis 6. Said ratchet wheel is connected with a cam 41 the rise of which actuates the clutching latch 48 through the medium of :a roller 49 and of a lever 50. 0n the other hand another cam 5| provided with a hollow space or depression is driven by the shaft 40 and makes a complete revolution in the same time as the whole of the blocks. When the introducing mechanism is set in motion, driven by the cam 41, the roller 49' of the cam 5| rests on the plain part of the cam under the action of the spring 52 and stops the movement only when a complete revolution has been effected and consequently all the blocks of the machine have received their glass tube. The movement begins again when the ratchet wheel 45 has made a complete revolution.

For each opertion the glass tube must be shifted on a length corresponding to an operation.

The mechanism through which said shifting is effected (Figures 4 and 6) comprises, a double 'clamp 53 receiving a continuous reciprocating movement from a shaft 54 which makes a revolution in the time for the'rotation from one block to another by means of a cam 55 acting upon a swinging lever 56 and a connecting rod 51. The axis 58 through which the connecting rod 51 is connected with the rocking lever 56 may assume the desired position in the groove in form of an arc of a circle 59 of the rocking lever 55. All

'movable claws 2| is so designed and arranged as to produce two phials or a double phial in each operation.

The order of the following operations is diagrammatically indicated in Figure 7.

At A the burner for forming the necks heats the glass tube; at B the neck is on the point The removing elements comprise the saw 53 (Figure 6) which is driven by a prime mover i4. Said saw is rotatable about the axis of the prime mover in order topermit the control of the out; the whole is also movable transversally. A bucket wheel is provided at for receiving the first phial made at the moment of the cut; a second bucket wheel 56 receives the second phial which is released through the opening of the claws; at this moment a current of compressed air drives the phial into the bucket wheel 66. wheels 65 and 66 deliver the phials into the bucket chain 61 which delivers them onto the table 53 where they are inspected before packing.

One of the movable claws 2| is moved longitudinally for stretching the neck, forming the bottoms and return to its primitive position; said movements are controlled by the slope l0 which is provided with a'closed groove and drives the roller ll in both directions. The shifting movements of the movable sockets 9 and of the choking rollers l6 are controlled by the shifting movement of the roller 1 I in the closed groove I0 and the whole may be shifted by means of the screw 69. The movable part III" of the slopes is connected with the part l0 by means of two sloping elements 1', l0"" which are hinged together and provided with slideways permitting their displacement by means-of the screw Ill.

The diameter of the necks at the lower part of the same is determined by the approaching movement of the rollers 16 and I G'with respect to the glass tube 35. Said approaching movement is controlled, as above, mentioned, by the cam 32, which is fixed on one of the sloping elements l0"'-which are hinged together. Saidcam may be removed from the sloping element by means of the excentred axis H actuated by the handle 12 forming a marking index. When removed from the slope "3" the cam 32 causes the rollers 13 to separate further from another so Both bucket that the choking rollers l6, I6 will form a neck v having a smaller diameter.

The operation of the machine is generally as follows.

The magazine 33 being provided with glass tubes the machine is set in motion after having been regulated. Themechanism for the introduction is released at the moment when the rise of the cam 41 shifts the roller 42 and said mechanism introduces as many glass tubes as there are blocks in the machine, i. e. twenty four in the example shown.

The tubes are introduced into the block 1! (Figure 1); they areadvanced longitudinally for the desired length from a to b. In the block 0 the burners for forming the necks are inflamed by means of the small flame 14 which burns continuously; the tube is heated from c to k; at k the burners are ,extinguished and the stretching and'reducing of the neck take place from k to m; the burner for forming the bottoms is inflamed at m also by the small flame 14', the heating being continued till the formation of the bottoms at p. At q the cutting off is effected by means of the saw 63 as well as the delivery of the first phial; the delivery of the second phial takes place at a: by means of a current of com;

pressed air coming from the exhaust side of a control slide valve (not shown) Between a: and y the glass tube waste is discharged. The opening and closing of the claws 2| at the desired moment are caused by the rotary cam 15. The opening and closing of the claws 2 I" for the delivery and the taking up of the tubes again is controlled by a rocking lever actuated by the shaft 54.

The shaft 3 carries the whole of the blocks through the medium of a plate I receiving a rotary movement through the medium of rings 11 and I8 connected together by planetary pinions ll.

The heating burners are supplied with gas in the known manner through the medium of the rotary distributors 3. and hoses 8|.

In the above description the making of phials in bottle form with a fiat bottom has been explained, but, of course, for obtaining phials or fiasks having another form, such as phials with two points, it will be sumcient to replace the slopes II and II? by other slopes having a suitable profile.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for fabricating ampoules or similar articles, a device for feeding glass tubes of indefinite length used in their entire length for the making, without loss, of a number of the articles, comprising a magazine for the tubes;

mechanism for distributing the tubes singly in a rotary intermittently moving shaping drum provided with receiving sockets; means for axially moving each tube in each operation through the desired length; means for starting the tubedistributing mechanism when the tubes being operated upon are exhausted; means for shaping the articles in the rotary drum; and means for discharging the shaped articles.

2. The combination of a machine for fabrieating ampoules or similar articles; a device for feeding glass tubes of indefinite length. comprising a tube magazine having two inclined supports on which the tubes roll; a tube-distributing mechanism comprising a cam, a connecting rod, and a rock lever for conveying each glass tube from the magazine in each of its oscillations; two forked members for raising the tube to the level of its receiving socket; reciprocatory tongs automatically opened and closed for gripping each tube and introducing the same into its corresponding socket; a connecting rod actuating the saidtongs with a reciprocatory longitudinal movement; means for imparting to the said tongs reciprocatory longitudinal movement and to give them a transverse movement permitting the tube to follow the rotary movement of the shaping drum; means for axially shifting each tube a desired length on each rotation; means for starting the tube-distributing mechanism when the tubes being fabricated are exhausted; means for shaping the articles in the iidruml and means for discharging shaped aric es. s

3. A machine for fabricating ampoules or oth-- er articles from glass tubes of indefinite length, comprising a tube magazine; mechanism for introducing the tubes into a rotary shaping drum having receiving sockets and actuated intermittently; means for shifting each tube axially through a desired length ineach operation, comprising double tongs having continuous reciprocatory movement; means for automatically effecting the opening and closing of the tongs:

means for imparting a transverse movement to the tongs permitting them to follow the shap ing means; means for starting the tube-introducing mechanism when the tubes being fabricated are exhausted; means for shaping the articles in the drum; and means for evacuating shaped articles therefrom.

4. An apparatus for fabricating ampoules or other articles of glass from glass tubes of in definite length, comprising a tube magazine; means for distributing the tubes singly into a rotary shaping drum provided with receiving sockets and actuating intermittently; means for axially shifting each tube in each operation through the desired length; means for starting the tube-distributing mechanism when the tubes being fabricated are exhausted, comprising a ratchet having a number of teeth equal' to the number of operations to which each glass tube is subjected; a connecting rod adapted to rotate the ratchet through one tooth for each rotation of the shaping drum about its axis, said ratchet being combined with a; cam for actuating the supporting mechanism, the clutching of which is assured by means of a second camwhen all the receiving sockets of the drum have received their tubesf means for shaping the articles in the rotary drum; and means for discharging themfrom the same.

LEON LOUIS COHOY. 

